Episode 6 of The Witch’s Key: “So Many Questions”
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Watch Today’s Reading of Episode 6!
Episode 6: “So Many Questions”
Luckily, Martin hadnβt heard me come in, and so far as I could tell, he hadnβt heard me leave, either. I would likely have some major explaining to do if he found out Iβd skipped school, but for now, I had my mind on more important things.
I kept my eye on the compass in my hand as I followed its directions. A magical compass guided by a location spell worked much like a modern-day GPS system. It would lead you to where you wanted to go, turn by turn. That way, you didnβt end up trying to swim across a lake to reach your destination.
What it didnβt tell you was how far away your target was from your current location. I didnβt have a car, or even a bike, so I really hoped Kai was somewhere close and that he hadnβt just used whatever crazy superspeed powers he seemed to have to teleport to school from Mars or something.
If he was even a couple miles away, it was going to take me forever to get to him.
Especially in this heat.
It was still pretty early in the morning by the time I started walking, but it was probably eighty-five degrees already. By noon, it would be over ninety.
I walked faster, turning west on Broad Street and then making a right turn onto Sanders. About ten minutes later, I was walking down East Hathaway when the needle on the compass started spinning again. At first, I worried maybe it had broken from the spell, but then, just like before, it suddenly clicked into place.
The needle now pointed directly to my left, and when I turned my body in that direction, I realized I was standing right in front of a small blue house with a well-maintained lawn and a bed of pansies out front. Frilly lace curtains framed a bay window in front of the house, and a pink butterfly windcatcher attached to a pole in the yard waved in the breeze.
I raised an eyebrow.
Was this where Kai lived?
Maybe he lived with his grandmother or something. This was definitely not what I was expecting.
I walked up the sidewalk, my heart beating faster with each step. Would he even open the door? He was not going to be happy to see me, and I hadnβt even really thought about what I would do once I actually found him.
What was my plan?
Seriously, Iβd just walked for twenty minutes and hadnβt thought through a plan? What kind of natural-born Slayer was I?
I took a deep breath and stepped onto the porch of the blue house, but before I could knock, the white door swung open.
Kai towered in the doorway, shaking his head.
βYou just couldnβt leave it alone, could you?β
βPeyton is gone,β I said. βDid you take her?β
I suddenly realized that deep down, I already knew he didnβt. If Iβd really believed he was capable of that, I never would have come here alone. I might be naive, but I wasnβt stupid.
He studied my face, and I forced myself to meet his eyes without fear.
βWhy did you come here?β he asked. βI thought I was clear about my feelings on this. Besides, you know Peyton isnβt here.β
βIβm here because I need your help,β I said. βYou canβt really expect me to stay out of it after this, can you? Besides, if you donβt invite me in, Iβm just going to stand on your front porch for the rest of the day singing show tunes. That might get some of your neighbors asking questions you donβt want to answer.β
He barely held back a smile before bowing his head and opening the door in a grand, sweeping gesture. βMi casa es su casa,β he said. βCome on in.β
My jaw tensed as I crossed the threshold of his house. I never really thought of myself as a stupid person, but yeah, this was probably really dumb. No one knew where I was right now, and if Iβd misjudged him, I would be the sixth missing girl in this town.
I also hated the fact that my heart was racing for an entirely different reason than fear. There was something about being this close to him again, alone, that sent my nerves into overdrive.
βDonβt worry. Iβm not going to hurt you,β he said. βI already told you I would do everything I could to make sure no one hurts you.β
βAnd why is that, exactly? You donβt even know me,β I said.
βI know enough,β he said, and the way he stared at me, like he had so many secrets, just made my stomach flip.
βSeriously, what is your deal?β I asked. βI donβt have time for this mysterious stranger act. People are missing. Their lives are in danger. Spill it. I need to know what you know.β
He laughed, and it was such a pure sound, it resonated somewhere deep within me. It was so beautiful, it was unsettling.
This guy was not at all who Iβd thought he was.
βHere, have a seat,β he said. βIβve been waiting for you to get here, so we could get started.β
He gestured to a pack of Reeseβs Peanut Butter Cups on the table behind a can of my favorite Pineapple seltzer water.
My jaw literally fell to the floor.
I tried to say something, but I couldnβt find any words for a very long, awkward moment.
Kai leaned against the doorway into the next room and hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans as he watched me. Apparently, shocking the crap out of me was next-level entertainment for him.
Was this some kind of trap? Lure me in with tasty snacks and then chop my head off or something?
If it was a trap, it was a darn good one. I never could resist chocolate and peanut butter.
βHow do you know so much about me, down to my favorite flavor combinations?β I asked. βYouβre freaking me out.β
βSit down with me, and Iβll explain it.β
I thought about it for a few seconds, but in the end, what choice did I really have? I hadnβt come here to just yell at him and walk away. I came for answers, so if he was offering them, I had to listen.
I sat down and opened the pack of candy, just to prove to him I wasnβt scared. And maybe a little bit to alleviate my extreme levels of stress. What was it about chocolate that cured everything?
I took the opportunity to study the room around us. This was a pretty small house, but it was incredibly clean and the inside was decorated more like a little old lady lived here than a teenage guy.
βSo, is your grandma home?β I asked.
He tried to hold back a smile. βIβm staying at a friendβs place for a while,β he said. βI live here alone for now.β
βIβm guessing the school doesnβt know about that,β I said. βAnd Iβm guessing youβre not really a senior in high school.β
He sat down across from me at the small table. βJust how much does the Council know about your involvement at this point?β
I straightened. He was supposed to be giving me answers, not grilling me with questions.
βIβm sure you already know that the Council hasnβt exactly given me permission to look into this,β I said. βWhat about your involvement? And your relationship to the Council, for that matter. Are you a Slayer?β
βNot exactly,β he said. βNot the way you and your parents are.β
βDid the Council send you here?β I asked.
βNo. I donβt work for the Witchβs Council.β
βThen how did you just happen to show up in this town right before those girls started disappearing? That canβt be a coincidence,β I said.
βIn some ways, I knew to come here the same way I knew youβd be knocking on my door this afternoon, or that you canβt resist chocolate and peanut butter when theyβre combined together,β he said. βI have certain abilities that make it easy to predict situations.β
βSo, did you know Peyton was going to be kidnapped?β Just asking the question brought tears to my eyes. I still couldnβt believe she was gone.
βNo. I knew someone was likely to be taken soon, but I didnβt know who or when,β he said. βTrust me, if Iβd known, I would have done everything in my power to put a stop to it.β
He lowered his eyes for a moment to his hands.
βIβve actually been watching your place for the past few nights,β he said.
When he looked up, our eyes met, and I could see heβd been telling the truth the other day when he said he would try to make sure no one hurt me. But why? Why did he care?
βYou thought whoeverβs doing this was going to take me?β
βI thought there was a strong possibility,β he said. βEven though most people canβt see or sense it, I know that each of the girls who were taken have some magical blood in their ancestry. Itβs faint in most cases, but itβs there. When you moved to town, I thought your strong connection to magic might make you a target, even with your uncle watching out for you.β
βSo, even though youβve been here for six months trying to find them, you still donβt know whoβs doing this?β I asked. βDo you know whatβs happened to the girls? Are they still alive? If you can see the future, how come you canβt see what theyβre going to do next?β
βDo you always ask so many questions?β A faint smile tugged at his mouth.
βNo, but Iβve been holding those in for a few days now,β I said. βAnd Peytonβs already been gone for more than twelve hours from what I can tell. She might not have much time left.β
He stood and paced the floor beside the table, as if trying to decide just how much to tell me about what he knew.
βIβm fairly certain the being taking girls in Newcastle is a demon,β he said. βI havenβt been able to track them, though. Believe me, if I could use my abilities to find them or see their next move, I would have done it already. Itβs usually only something that works with people whose intentions are pure and good, and itβs not always consistent. I canβt see what youβre going to say next, for example, but I knew you would come here. Itβs hard to explain.β
I let his words sink in for a moment.
βSo, you canβt see the intentions of evil creatures or beings, like certain demons?β I asked.
He shook his head. βNo.β
βThen, how did you see enough to lead you here to Newcastle six months ago?β
βBecause I was tracking someone else when I came here,β he said. βI didnβt know I would be stepping into a situation where young girls were going to be kidnapped.β
βWho?β I asked.
βMy father,β he said.
I raised an eyebrow. I definitely hadnβt expected him to say that. Every answer from him just led to more questions.
βDid you find him?β
Kai shook his head and stopped pacing the floor.
βI donβt think Iβm ready to talk about that just yet.β He sat down beside me at the table. βBut what I can tell you is that Iβm pretty sure the girls are all still alive. For now.β
I fell back against the chair, surprised and relieved. βAll of them? How do you know that?β
βIβve had a lot of time to research whatβs been happening here, and I found a connection to a series of kidnappings that have happened across the world over the past decade. Each one of these kidnappings involved five teen girls, all taken over the course of about six months.β
My stomach twisted into a knot. Patterns like this were never good, and I wasnβt sure I wanted to hear what had eventually happened to those other girls in the other towns.
But he was going to tell me anyway. I needed to know the truth, no matter how hard it might be to hear.
βWhat happened to them?β I asked.
He looked down. βIn each instance, the girls were kept alive until all five were taken. Soon after, on the night of the next full moon, they were all five sacrificed together in a ritual,β he said. βFrom what I can tell, itβs the same ritual each time. Iβve managed to put that information together from various research and interviews Iβve done over the past few months, but what I havenβt been able to discern is exactly what heβs gaining from it. And, of course, whoβs behind it all.β
I let this information sink in, and then I closed my eyes and counted. I had a calendar in my bedroom of the moon cycle, so I pictured it in my mind now, trying to figure out where we were in the current cycle.
My eyes snapped open, tears flooding to the surface.
βThe next full moon is in three days, Kai.β
My hands trembled, and I set the chocolate down. Iβd just lost any appetite I had.
If he was right, we had less than three full days to find Peyton and the others before it was too late and this demon, or whatever it was, moved on to another town to repeat the horror show.
βI know,β Kai said. βI was hoping there would be at least one more cycle before he took another girl, but the second I heard about Peyton, I knew we were down to just a few days.β
βWe canβt let that happen,β I said. βWe have to save them and put a stop to this.β
βThatβs exactly what Iβm trying to do here,β he said. βBut without knowing whoβs behind it, Iβm not sure what to do next.β
I shook my head, trying to work through it. What could we do to help?
βWhat about the Council?β I asked. βIf this is a demon whoβs repeating this ritual over and over, why havenβt they gotten involved? Isnβt this exactly the kind of thing Slayers exist to deal with?β
He stood and started pacing again. I kind of wanted to join him. The tension inside me was building to an extreme. I felt like I could have probably punched through a brick wall if I wanted to.
βIt doesnβt make a lot of sense to me, either,β he said. βYes, Slayers should have been called in on this, but from what I can tell, no one on the Council is even investigating this situation.β
βMaybe they just arenβt aware of it for some reason,β I said, standing. βMaybe we need to tell them. They can send in Slayers and deal with it faster than we could on our own.β
βIβm not sure we can trust the Council, Lenny,β he said. βThey should have sent someone to deal with this by now. I alerted them to my suspicions four months ago when I discovered the connection between this and those other rituals. I basically got the equivalent of the Councilβs voicemail.β
I bit the inside of my lip so hard, I tasted blood.
Maybe he was right when he told me I was getting in over my head.
There were rules to this life of being a Slayer and a witch. There was an order to things. But if the Council didnβt decide to interfere, what then? Were we really expected to just sit back and watch innocent people be sacrificed?
I was very not down with that idea.
But what happened to witches that defied the Councilβs rulings?
I shuddered. I wasnβt sure I wanted to know.
βI should probably talk to my uncle Martin about this,β I said. βHeβs been a Keeper for ages, and even though heβs retired now, he would probably have something to say about why the Council isnβt choosing to intervene.β
Kai smiled. βAnd how to get around it?β
Dang. It was like he could read my mind.
And I guess maybe he could, in a way.
βI wouldnβt want to get him into any kind of trouble, though,β I said. βBut maybe he could help.β
βThatβs entirely your call, Lenny. You need to do what you think is best, but either way, I think Martin can take care of himself.β
βHeβs pretty old,β I said, scrunching my nose. βAnd heβs retired. Heβs probably a bit rusty.β
βI wouldnβt count him out just yet,β Kai said with a knowing smile. βKeepers arenβt usually skilled at combat like Slayers are, but Iβve heard tales about old Martin from his younger days. Back then, he was known for being a rare Keeper with Slayer tendencies. He could apparently hold his own.β
I smiled at the thought. βI didnβt know that, but it doesnβt surprise me.β
Kai looked down for a second, growing quiet. When he looked up again, his voice was softer.
βIβm glad it wasnβt you they took,β he said. The look in his eyes said he was being genuine, though I couldnβt imagine why he cared. βIβm not saying Iβm glad it was Peyton. I would rather it was no one at all, but Iβm especially glad it wasnβt you, Lenora.β
The sincerity in his tone nearly took my breath away.
There werenβt a lot of people out there in the world who cared about me at all, and yet, here he was, saying these things as if we were old friends.
This guy was a pure mystery.
βWhy do you care so much? Weβve never even met,β I said. βUnless you count yesterday, which Iβd rather forget.β
βBut we have met,β he said. βYou wouldnβt have remembered it, because you were so young at the time, but I remember you.β
βWe did?β I asked, my eyes widening. βWhen?β
βYou were probably about eight years old, and you were staying in a little village in Romania for the summer,β he said. βYour parents were there investigating a vampire hive rumored to be terrorizing the area. My father had some business to discuss with them at the time, and he brought me along. I was only ten, but I remember you very clearly.β
βWait, our parents knew each other?β
Today was like bomb after bomb of new information. I wasnβt sure I was taking it all in.
βThey were good friends, actually,β he said. βAt least according to my dad. Iβll tell you more about it another time. For now, though, I think you need to get home to Martin.β
βWhy?β Fear gripped my heart. βDid you see something? Is he in trouble?β
He closed his eyes and touched his forehead, straining at some thought or vision.
βI canβt say exactly, other than heβs thinking of you,β he said. βHeβs worried.β
I let my head fall back, and I groaned.
βAwesome. Heβs probably just found out I skipped school,β I said, reaching for my bag. I was not looking forward to trying to explain this.
βIf you want, I can drive you home,β Kai said.
I raised an eyebrow. βSo, you donβt just travel everywhere by super-crazy-fast teleportation speed? How interesting.β
He laughed again, and it was so real and pure, that I was sure I could feel it vibrate in the air around me. My arms broke out in goosebumps.
I studied him as he walked into the other room to grab his keys. He was extremely graceful. He possessed some kind of minor clairvoyance. And the air vibrated when he laughed.
What in the world was this guy?
Definitely not a witch. Or a demon. Not a vampire, despite his grace.
I had so many questions.
He led me out to an old VW Bug, and I couldnβt hold back my laughter. This car did not suit him at all. He was this tall, dark, handsome guy cramming himself into this tiny car with a flowery headband hanging from the rearview mirror and a lucky cat bobbing on the dashboard.
When he looked over and saw my expression, he actually blushed.
βThe car came with the house,β he said.
βObviously,β I said.
It took just a few minutes to get back to Martinβs, and Iβd been quiet the whole drive, imagining a police car parked out front.
Instead, when Kai pulled up, there was a different car parked in the driveway. Not exactly a cop car, but something that was potentially much, much worse.
βWhatβs wrong?β he asked. βYou look like you just saw a ghost.β
βI have to go,β I said, clawing off my seatbelt and jumping out of the car as quickly as I could. βFind me later tonight. If Iβm still alive.β
I muttered that last part under my breath and ran to the house, throwing open the door to find two serious sets of eyes snap toward mine.
βI can explain,β I said.
A woman wearing a perfectly tailored black pencil skirt and matching jacket crossed her arms in front of her chest and focused her icy blue eyes on mine.
βWell, I certainly hope so,β she said. βOr weβre going to have a serious issue on our hands.β
I glanced at Martin, and he shook his head. I could practically feel the disappointment rolling off of him.
But right now, it wasnβt Martin I was particularly worried about.
It was Blythe Greer, the witch who had been my parentsβ Keeper for the past fifty years. Beautiful. Powerful. Ruthless.
She was known inside the Council for only sending messages by raven. In fact, she so rarely made personal appearances that some witches had started calling her the Grim Reaper, because if she showed up at your house, heads were about to roll.
And judging by the look on Blytheβs face, my head was next.